Do you have that friend who looks put together 24/7? Always neat and her home always looks like she has a house elf from Harry Potter? Me too. I have always tried to strive for that and it has always felt near impossible…… until now. I constructed a list of 5 daily tasks that take very little time but make a huge impact on the look of my house. Now I’m no longer worried about people dropping by unexpectedly or having to spend an entire Saturday devoted to just cleaning.
1. Make the beds first thing in the morning – Even if your clothes are picked up, a messy bed always shouts messy room. I try to make my bed as soon as I get up. I don’t even have coffee first! If you have kids, have them help out with their own beds. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
2. Wash & Dry 1 load of laundry a day – This helps out a lot. I hate nothing more than having to wash and fold 6 baskets of laundry. If you religiously wash one load per day (and we are talking drying, folding and putting away as well) you will never have to deal with a mountain of dirty clothes.
3. After every meal load dishes in dish washer – This can also be a great way for kids to help out. Taking a few minutes after every meal to load the dishwasher can cut down on hours of kitchen work later. I also will make a habit of running the dishwasher every night after dinner. You can put dishes away before bed or take care of it once you are up and moving in the morning.
4. Do a quick sweep in your most lived in rooms – For me the most lived in rooms are our kitchen, living room and dining room. Accomplishing a quick sweep once a day keeps dirt and pet hair to a minimum.
5. Quick pick up – Right before I head off to bed, I will do a quick 20 minute pick up of any stragglers left over from the day. I will grab clothes, shoes, toss junk mail or put away spare dishes that were left behind. I don’t do more than 20 minutes because I like having some down time to myself. Most nights it doesn’t even take 20 minutes if I’ve kept up on the 4 other tasks during the day.
I guarantee that you will love the results of these super, quick and easy tips!
